Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAXIE SWAIN Crues s with bi but Ror
RORY Patterson is sticking to his guns when he says he’s at the biggest club in the country.
The Crusaders new boy, who caused quite a stir when he aired his views last week, talks with the straight-forwardness of someone sure of himself and his place in the game.
And he plays like it too, with his debut at Seaview last Monday night a case in point, showcasing as it did his confidence – or cockiness as some might have it – as he opened his account with a fine solo effort, before dinking a cheeky Panenka inches over the bar with the game finely poised at 2-1.
In the end his penalty miss proved immaterial, with the reigning champions going on to beat Ards 4-2 – but in its daring and audacity it was a little snapshot of what Patterson is all about.
He followed his eventful bow at Seaview with another memorable afternoon’s work on Saturday, as his second in two games – another excellent finish it should be noted – denied Ballymena United late on to salvage a point for the hosts.
At this level Patterson is a big name for sure, a prolific and proven goalscorer and a former Northern Ireland international to boot.
He’s single-minded too, as his long and colourful career attests, with the Strabane-born forward striking out from his north-west stomping ground at an early age to ply his trade across the water, down south in the
League of Ireland, and even Down Under, as well as locally with Coleraine, Linfield and now the
Crues. His capture from Derry City last week was quite a coup for the Hatchetmen, who moved for the 34-year-old after being knocked back in their pursuit of young Coleraine striker Jamie Mcgonigle.
After putting pen to paper on a one-year deal, Patterson described the Crues as the biggest team in the Premiership – and he reiterated that stance to Match On Tuesday, lest anyone think he was backing down after taking some flak for overlooking the traditional Big Two, both of whom he has links to.
“In a football sense, it was an easy decision,” explained Patterson on the lure of Stephen Baxter’s side.
“I know I’ve got a bit of stick for saying it but I’m not going to retract it.
“At the minute, I think Crusaders are the best team in the league and the biggest team in the league, if that’s how people want to take how I’m saying it.
“Obviously they have won a few leagues and they have a good squad as well so on the football side it was easy enough.
“That’s what you are in the game for, to play in the best teams, and at the end of the day you want to win silverware and Crusaders have been doing that in abundance the last couple of years.”
Brought in to add firepower to an already potent Crusaders attack, Patterson certainly guarantees goals.
He netted more than 30 times during his first ever season in the Irish League with Coleraine almost 10 years ago, and with Jordan Owens back from injury quicker than expected – he came on as a substitute on Saturday – and the likes of Paul Heatley and Jordan Forsythe providing ammunition, Baxter has a potentially devastating strikeforce on his hands.
“I’ve always enjoyed it [the Irish League] and obviously I know a lot of people in the league and I’m looking forward to playing in it again,” said Patterson.
“As for what I have to prove to people, I don’t think it matters what I do or don’t do, I’d still get stick but people are going to talk and I’m long enough in the tooth now to just let it go over my head.
“I’m a striker and that’s what I’m going to be judged on and, over the years, I think I have done all right in that department. Obviously last year was a bit of a rubbish year. I broke my leg and played on with a broken leg for five weeks and ended up needing surgery, but towards the end of the season I was back flying and scoring goals again.
“Now, playing in this Crusaders team, you are going to get the service. I noticed that after just one game even and it’s just going to improve as I get to know the way the team plays and the way certain players play.”
Patterson knows Michael Carvill and Billy Joe Burns from his season on loan at Windsor in 2011/12, while he played with Philip Lowry at both the Blues and Derry, and he’s convinced his new team-mates have the quality and hunger to successfully defend their Premiership crown. He added: “Any team in any league will tell you the hardest thing to do is defend it and, after winning it last year, teams are going to be gunning for us to take the title off us so it’s up to us to stay on top and make sure they don’t and I’m confident we can do that.”
Looking back on his career, Patterson reckons his biggest achievement was forcing his way into the international set-up and earning a handful of caps while playing for Coleraine, then a struggling and unglamorous provincial club.
His scintillating solitary season at the Showgrounds earned him a move to full-time football via a strange incident whereby he signed for Glentoran, who then promptly sold him to Plymouth Argyle during the close season without him so much as kicking a ball.
“The highlight for me would be playing on the international stage, and breaking in when I was still playing in the Irish League,” said Patterson.
“I made my debut against Albania, and then scoring as well [against Morocco in a friendly] was a big thing too. They would have to be up there.
“With the squad Northern Ireland had, players from the [English] Premier League and I was still with Coleraine in the Irish League.”
Patterson’s reputation both north and south of the border is assured, yet it was across the water where his coolness in front of goal really came